Building construction



Dec. 15, 1936. 1 C.YL. STRATTARD 2,064,276

' BUILDING CONSTRUCTION V Filed' July. 14, 1953 2 Shee-ts$heet 1 IINVENTOR C/mr/esLSfrmfa/d A ORNEY Patented Dec. 15, 1-936 UNEED STTESPATENT osFicE Application July 14, 1933, SerialjNo. 680,413

15 Claims.

This invention relates generally to building construction andparticularly to improvements in joints between adjacent elementsentering into such constructions.

Metals, and particularly aluminum and aluminum alloys, have definitelyproved their many varied artistic and practical uses in structural anddecorative effects for both exterior and interior uses in buildingconstruction. The architectural use of metals in spandrels or panels andvarious other structural and decorative appointments is increasing, butcertain disadvantages are inherent to providing suitable means forsecuring these spandrels or panels in place and in satisfactorilyjoining adjacent members.

It is a primary. object of my invention to provide a joint for buildingconstruction which is flexible, self-caulking and which will permitready alignment of the elements comprising the joint.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a joint betweenadjacent metal sections which will permit relative movement between thesections but which will not detract from the appearance of aconstruction in which it is embodied.

Another object of my invention is to provide a joint between adjacentmetal parts or sections which is self-calking and which willautomatically adjust itself to variations in atmospheric conditions.

Another object of my invention is to provide a construction in which itis possible to attach a member such as a window sill or building corniceto a spandrel facing in such a manner that the various members are freeto expand or contract relative to one another without in any wayimparting undue stresses in the supporting substructure of the buildingto which they have been attached.

A further object of my invention is to provide a metal buildingconstruction incorporating self-caulking and self-aligning jointsbetween adjacent members, together with efficient means for eliminatingthe seepage of moisture through the joints into the interior of thebuilding to which such members have been attached.

Other objects as well as various novel features, and advantages of myinvention will present themselves and be more apparent when thefollowing detailed description is considered in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 represents, in front elevation, a plurality of cooperatingspandrels joined together.

(Cl. lac-at) in accordance with the principles of my invention;

Fig. 2 represents a cross sectional view taken along the line II--II ofFig. 1;

Fig. 3 represents a rear elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 represents a partial sectional elevation taken along the lineIV-IV of Fig. 2;

Fig, 5 represents a fragmentary cross sectional view taken along theline VV of Fig. 3;

Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are fragmentary cross sectional views similar to Fig. 2with the exception that modifications of the joint sealing strip areshown;

Fig. 9 represents, in plan view, a window sill or cornice in cooperativerelationship with a facing spandrel;

Fig. 10 represents an end view of the arrangement shown in Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 represents a cross sectional view taken along the line XIXI inFig. 9;

Fig. 12 represents a fragmentary cross sectional view taken along theline XII-XII in Fig. 9;

Fig. 13 represents a fragmentary cross sectional view taken along theline XIII-XIII of Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawings, my invention is illustrated with reference toa unique joint construction for building construction. It is to beunderstood, however, that the invention is not limited in scope to thespecific illustrations herein shown but may be employed in various othermodifications within the spirit and scope of this description and theappended claims.

In Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive and in Fig. 13 the im-. proved jointconstruction is shown as employed between adjacent spandrels or panels.Each of the spandrels i0 is provided along one of its vertical edgeswith a rearwardly-depending flange I I, which in the case of a castspandrel is usually formed integral therewith, and a verticallongitudinal groove i2 is provided in the front face of the spandreladjacent the flange H. The opposite vertical edge of each spandrel isprovided with a rearwardly-extending protuberance or tongue 13 which isof such a cross section that it does not completely fill the groove 12when interengaged with an adjacent spandrel and the front faces of twosuch spandrels lie in substantially the same plane. The vertical edge ofthe spandrel, which is provided with the tongue l3,

has also formed adjacent this tongue a depending flange M, the purposeof which will be more clearly understood hereinafter.

spandrels, the spandrels are positioned as shown to best advantage inFigs. 2 and 5, a suitable material, such as asphaltum, pitch, tar, orother mastic material l5 being placed within the groove l2. A sealingstrip I6 is thereafter employed to complete the joint, which strip ispreferably provided with a pl rality of rearwardlyextending shanks ortongues l1 adapted to enter apertures l8 provided adjacent the flangesI4. The shanks or tongues II project rearwardly and .are embracedbetween the flanges II and I4,

pockets or depressions It! being formed in the flanges l I to providesuitable housings for the tongues. Apertures l3 in the form of circularholes are provided in the shanks I! and half round tapered pins 20inserted in said apertures secure the sealing strips I 6 in place. Inthis connection the pins 20 maintain constant contact with the mostrearward edges of the flanges II and I4 and the protruding ends of thesepins are preferably bent into substantially arcuate form, therebyconstituting a pivot center about which the spandrels may pivot duringthe expansion and contraction of the joint at its front face, the masticmaterial I5 permitting relative movement between adjacent spandrels andat the same time insuring a sealing medium. This construction is ofparamount importance as it permits the relative movement betweenadjacent spandrels necessary for the erection of members which areslightly warped, or otherwise permits the automatic or self-alignment ofthe spandrels. At the same time relative movement between adjacentspandrels or panels automatically displaces the mastic material I 5 inaccordance to the direction of movement and insures a selfcaulkingjoint.

Figs. 6, 7 and 8 represent fragmentary sectional views similar to Fig. 2which illustrate three modified forms of the sealing strip employed in aconstruction of this nature. In Fig. 6 a sealing strip 2| is'formed witha suitable dovetail groove 22 disposed in its exterior face. Within thisgroove a decorative strip, in the form of an extruded shape 23, ispreferably inserted. In this connection it may be desirable to employ acolored material within the face of the sealing strip 2| which willcontrast with the metal of the spandrels and sealing strip.

In Fig. 7 a sealing strip 24 is disclosed which is similar to thosealready described with the exception that the insert 25 within thedovetail groove 25 completely fills this groove, and in the preferredform is usually ornamented or decorated in such a manner as to contrastwith the spandrels and sealing strip proper.

In Fig. 8 a further modification of my invention is shown in which thefront faces of the spandrels III adjacent the depending flanges II andI4 are provided with a cavity 21 in which the head of the sealing strip28 is received. In this construction the cavity 21 is made sufficientlyoversize with respect to the sealing strip 28 to provide for relativemovement between the spandrels and the sealing strip as the jointexpands or contracts under atmospheric and similar conditions.

In all of the examples of the joint construction above described it isan important feature of my invention that the shanks or tongues I! bepositioned with respect to that portion of the sealing strips whichbears upon the front faces of the spandrels so that the openings 48between the tongued and grooved joints of ad- In assembling two suchtongued and grooved jacent spandrels are at all times covered or sealedby the sealing strips.- This will be appreciated since this constructioninsures against the penetration of moisture into the joint.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 2, 3 and 4, a construction is shownwhich exemplifies a means whereby spandrels joined together inaccordance with my invention are secured to the substructure of abuilding or the like. For this purpose the spandrels II) are providedwith lugs or ribs 29 cast integral with the rear faces of the spandrels.These lugs have been shown as local projections but it is quite obviousthat a continuous rib may be employed if such a construction is requiredor considered necessary. By means of suitable gusset plates or the like30 and fasteningldevices such as rivets or bolts 31 the spandrels orpanels are secured to the substructure of the building which has beenrepresented by the angles 32. As shown in Fig. 4, elongated apertures orholes 33 are preferably provided for receiving the fastening devices 3|and in this manner any irregularities in the positioning of theseapertures will be automatically taken care of and the spandrels will bepermitted to adjust themselves under various conditions, such as warpingor contraction and expansion experienced under atmospheric changes.

In Figs. 9 to 12 inclusive a construction is illustrated in which awindow sill has been combined with front facing spandrels. In thisconstruction the window sill comprises two or more sections 34 which arejoined together by means of a suitable expansion joint to permitlongitudinal expansion and contraction therebetween. The expansion jointis formed by means of providing a grooved pocket portion 35 integralwith the end of one window sill section and a protuberance or tongueportion 36 integral with the cooperating end of another section ofwindow sill. As shown to best advantage in Figs. 11

I and 12, the rear end of the groove 35 is closed as at 31 and both thegroove 35 and the tongue 36 are constructed to extend horizontally andthereafter substantially vertically beneath the front face or flange 38of the sill sections. As in the case of the spandrel joint construction,a suitable mastic material 39 is employed within the groove 35, whichinsures a seal against the seepage of moisture through the joint.

In Figs. 10 and 11 the construction, whereby a window sill incorporatingthe expansion joint above described is coordinated with a front facingspandrel 40, is shown. In this particular instance the spandrel ispreferably provided with a pocket 4| of semi-circular configuration onits rear side adjacent the window sill expansion joint and the sections34 are supported upon the top edge 42 of the facing spandrel. In thismanner it will be seen that moisture, or the like, collecting betweenthe ends of the sections 34 within the opening 43 will be permitted toflow towards the depending face 38 of the sill sections and bedischarged within the pocket or cavity 41, from whence it will bedischarged down the front face of the spandrel 40. This condition ispreferred when it is considered that moisture discharged into theinterior of a. building construction of this nature, and particularlywhen such moisture is permitted to freeze, would have a deleteriouseffect on such .an organized construction.

Although various means may be employed for securing the sill sections tothe spandrel, I have such cross sectional area as to provide a clearancebetween the spandrels and the tongue and shown a simple form ofconstruction which comprises providing suitable lugs 44 on the undersurface of the sill sections 34 and similar lugs 45 on the rear face ofthe spandrel 40. Links 46 and suitable fastening devices 41 tie the sillsections and spandrels together and insure a sturdy construction.

Although the construction incorporating the sills and facing spandrelshas been described in terms of a specific installation, it will bereadily understood that a similar expansion joint and provision fordrainage could be incorporated in an organized construction wherein thesill sections were replaced with cornice sections without departing inany way from the construction described.

Having thus described and explained my invention and its mode ofoperation, it is to be understood that the construction described wasselected merely for purposes of illustration and that numerousvariations in the form and arrangement of parts shown and describedherein may be made without departing from the scope of my inventionexcept as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a metal building construction, the combination of a spandrelhaving a groove in its front face adjacent one edge thereof, a secondspandrel spaced from the first and having a tongue on its rear faceadjacent one edge thereof, said spandrel having the tongue thereon beingpositioned in interengaged relationship with its tongue within thegroove of the first-mentioned spandrel, said tongue being of such crosssection area as to provide a clearance between the spandrels, and asealing strip disposed on the front faces of the spandrels andoverlapping the clearance therebetween, said sealing strip being securedin a manner to maintain the spaced relationship between adjacentspandrel edges and to permit movement of the interengaged spandrelsrelative to themselves and the sealing strip.

2. In a metal building construction, the combination of a spandrelhaving a groove in its front face adjacent one edge thereof, a secondspandrel having a tongue on its rear face adjacent one edge thereof,said spandrel having the tongue. thereon being positioned ininterengaged relationship with its tongue within the groove of thefirst-mentioned spandrel, said tongue being of such cross sectional areaas to provide a clearance between the spandrels and the tongue andgroove, a mastic material within said groove and in contact with thetongue to form a sealing medium, a detachable sealing strip having aportion disposed on the front faces of the spandrels and overlapping theclearance therebetween, said sealing strip being secured in a manner tomaintain the clearance between adjacent spandrel edges and to permitmovement of the interengaged spandrels relative to themselves and thesealing strip, the mastic material insuring a permanent seal.

3. In a building construction, the combination of a spandrel having agroove in its front face groove, and a mastic sealing material withinsaid groove',and in contact with the tongue to form a sealing medium,and detachable securing means having a portion disposed upon the frontfaces of the spandrels and overlapping the interengaged portions, saidmeans being secured against said rearwardly extending spandrel flangesin a manner to maintain the clearance between adjacent spandrel edgesand to permit relative movement between members.

4. A joint construction comprising a member having a groove in its frontface adjacent one edge thereof and a rearwardly-depending flangeadjacent said groove, a second member having a tongue on its rear faceadjacent one edge thereof and a rearwardly-depending flange adjacentsaid tongue, said members being loosely interengaged with the tonguewithin the groove and the rearwardly-depending flanges disposed adjacenteach other, a sealing strip disposed upon the front faces of saidmembers in overlapping relationship with respect to the interengagedportions of said members, said sealing strip having depending shanksadapted to enter apertures in the second-mentioned member and extendrearwardly between and beyond the depending flanges, means associatedwith said shanks and depending flanges to secure the members ininterengaged relationship, said lastmentioned means constituting a pivotcenter about which the interengaged members may move relative to eachother.

5. A joint construction according to claim 4 in which a mastic sealingmedium is incorporated within the interengaged portions of the members.

6. A joint construction comprising a member having a groove in its frontface adjacent one edge thereof and a rearwardly-depending flangeadjacent said groove, a second member having a tongue on its rear faceadjacent one edge thereof and a rearwardly-depending flange adjacentsaid tongue, said members being interengaged with the tongue within thegroove and the rearwardly-depending flanges disposed adjacent eachother, the tongue being of such cross section that it does notcompletely fill said groove and provides a clearance between saidinterengaged members, a mastic sealing material within said groove incontact with said tongue, a sealing strip disposed upon the front facesof said members overlapping the clearance between said members, saidsealing strip having a plurality of depending shanks extending throughapertures in said second-mentioned member and extending rearwardlybetween said flanges and beyond the same, taper pins through saidshanks, said taper pins being bent into arcuate contact with the mostrearward edges of said flanges, said taper pins constituting pivotcenters about which the interengaged members may move relative to eachother.

7. A joint construction according to claim 6 in which the sealing stripis provided with a decorative insert within its exterior face.

8. In a building construction, a window sill associated with a facingspandrel, said window sill incorporating an expansion joint whichcomprises loosely interengaged tongued and grooved members, said membersbeing in spaced relationship in interengaged assembly, means forsecuring said sill members to the facing spandrel, and means forpreventing moisture seepage through the expansion joint.

9. In a building construction, a window sill associated with a facingspandrel, said window sill comprising adjacent members, one of ,saidsill members having a groove in its top surface adjacent" an endthereof, the other sill member having a tongue depending from its rearsurface adjacent an end thereof, said members being interengaged withthe tongue within the groove in a manner to provide a definite clearancebetween said members, a mastic sealing material within said groove incontact with said tongue, and securing means for attaching the sillmembers to the facing spandrel, said securing means being adapted tomaintain the said clearance between spandrels.

10. In a building construction, a window sill associated with a facingspandrel, said window sill comprising adjacent members havingsubstantially horizontal portions and depending flanges along the frontedges thereof, one of said sill members having a groove disposed in itssubstantially horizontal portion and depending flange, the other sillmember having a tongue depending from the under side of thesubstantially horizontal portion and depending flange, said membersbeing interengaged with the tongue within the groove in a manner toprovide a definite clearance between said members, and a mastic sealingmedium within the groove in contact with the tongue, said interengagedsill members being supported upon the top edge of the facing spandrel, aportion of said facing spandrel being cut away adjacent the interengagedportions of the sill members, and a pocket formed integral with the rearface of the facing spandrel adjacent said cut-away portion, wherebymoisture collecting within the clearance space between the sill membersis directed into the pocket in the facing spandrel and is dischargeddown the front face thereof.

11. A joint construction comprising a member having a groove in itsfront face adjacent one edge thereof and a rearwardly-depending flangeadjacent said groove, a second member having a tongue on its rear faceadjacent one edge thereof and a rearwardly-depending flange adjacentsaid tongue, said members being. loosely interengaged in spacedrelationship with the tongue within the groove and therearwardlydepending flanges adjacent each other, and detachable securingmeans having a face portion disposed upon said interengaged portions,the said means being secured with respect to the rearwardly-extendingflanges in a manner to maintain the spaced relationship in interengagedassembly and to permit movement relative to the interengaged members andthe strip.

12. In a building construction, the combination of a plurality of spacedspandrels the adjacent edges of which are provided with tongued andgrooved portions, said tongued and grooved portions being interengagedin spaced relationship to form a flexible joint, and securing meanshaving a portion bearing upon said interengaged edge portions of saidspandrels, said means being adapted to maintain the spaced relationshipbetween adjacent spandrel surfaces and to permit relative movementbetween the said spandrels, and further securing means for attaching thejointed spandrels to a building substructure whereby the spandrels arepermitted to move relative to one another and adjust themselves to saidsubstructure.

13. A flexible joint construction between adjacent members having acommon face plane, comprising overlapping edge portions interengaged bygroove and tongue, both normal to the common face plane, said membershaving ,a spaced relationship throughout said interengaged assembly, andsecuring means associated with said overlapped portions adapted tomaintain the members in spaced interengaged assembly.

14. A flexible joint construction between adjacent members having acommon face plane, comprising overlapping edge portions interengaged bya tongue and groove, both normal to the common face plane, said membershaving a spaced relationship throughout said interengaged assembly, amastic sealing medium within said groove and in contact with saidtongue, and a demountable securing means associated with saidoverlapping portions and being rearwardly secured against said membersto maintain the members in spaced interengaged assembly.

15. A flexible joint construction between adjacent members having acommon face plane, comprising overlapping edgeportions interengaged by atongue and groove, both normal to the common face plane, said membershaving a spaced relationship throughout said interengaged assembly, amastic sealing medium within 'said groove and in contact with saidtongue, and

a demountable securing means providing a facing strip for the joint andbeing rearwardly secured against said members to maintain the members inspaced interengaged assembly.

CHARLES L. STRATTARD.

